


Be Home For Christmas

by NiniAtTheYAC



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: F/M, holiday fluff, ive missed my babies, season 2 prediction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:33:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28020984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NiniAtTheYAC/pseuds/NiniAtTheYAC
Summary: Nini has been struggling for a week to tell Ricky about her opportunity at the YAC. He deserves the truth, but will it tear apart their happy relationship again?(This oneshot is based on the stills of Ricky and Nini from season 2 that were released a while ago. I'm so sad we didn't get these scenes in the holiday special, so this is my version of them)
Relationships: Ricky Bowen & Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 4
Kudos: 44





	Be Home For Christmas

Things between them had been so good for the last week, Nini still felt like she was floating through life. Every time Ricky would catch her eyes across the crowded hallway, intertwine their fingers beneath the table at lunch, or kiss her goodbye at the end of the night she felt so happy she could almost burst. It was when Ricky wasn’t around that Nini came down from the clouds. 

It had been a week, and she still needed to tell him about her offer at the YAC. 

To be fair, she hadn’t told anyone yet. Because if she told Kourtney then her well-intending best friend would definitely convince her that she had to go, and if she told her moms then it would be real and she would actually have to face this decision. But as long as she kept it inside she could tell herself that she had time, that she didn’t have to make a choice, and that there’s a chance her parents wouldn’t let her go anyway. 

While Nini wrapped Ricky’s gift she contemplated ways that she might tell him when he came over tonight. _‘Remember when I went to camp and you freaked out and I didn’t know how to communicate and we fell apart? Remember that school I mentioned to you weeks ago? The one that’s miles and miles away? Remember when you told me you loved me? Hold onto that, please.’_ She felt sick to her stomach just thinking about the look that would be on his face and the way that he would try to be supportive even if he was hurting. She had to tell him tonight. 

When the doorbell rang Nini dashed downstairs to let him in out of the cold. She pulled the door open, and there he was. Holding his guitar and smiling at her warmly. “Ricky! Hi,” she said, breathlessly. 

“Hey, Neenes,” he said, stepping inside and dropping a kiss on her forehead. Her stomach flipped with nerves. “Is it dumb to say that I missed you?” He asked while he slipped his shoes off and set down his guitar. 

Nini took his hand and pulled him into the living room, “It’s not dumb, but it is a little silly considering you saw me at school about four hours ago,” she teased while they settled onto the floor in front of her family’s Christmas tree. Ricky smiled but he seemed to sag against her. She crossed her legs, pulled him closer, and offered her lap for him to rest his head on. “So, how are you doing with your mom being back in Chicago? Have your parents decided where you’ll be on Christmas?” 

Ricky looked up at her while she ran her fingers through his hair. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “It’s weird still, but I think I’m getting used to it? They’re still going back and forth about Christmas. Mom says I should be with her ‘cause she didn’t see me on Thanksgiving, but dad says that was her choice and I should be with him for Christmas, and go see her for New Years.” 

Nini thought that he sounded exhausted just talking about it, she gave him a sympathetic smile. “And what do you want?” She asked. 

He seemed to get caught up in his head for a moment before he answered, “I don’t know. I just wish things could go back to how they were. I want them to stop putting me in the middle of everything. I want to be able to stay here and be with you and all of my friends without having to miss my mom on the holidays...” he trailed off. 

Nini barely knew what to say, there was nothing she could do to fix this for him. “Maybe you should ask Santa,” she finally said. 

Ricky laughed softly, “Of course, why didn’t I think of that?” 

“I guess that’s why you keep me around, for all of my great ideas.” She gave him a sad smile and leaned over to kiss his forehead. Nini lingered, speaking softly against his ear, “I’m so sorry, Ricky. I wish I could do more. I don’t know what I can do, but I’m here, and I love you so much.” 

“Honestly, Nini, for now, that’s all I need right now.” Pulling back, she could see the earnestness in his gaze, “If I need something I’ll tell you.” He turned to kiss her cheek and then disentangled himself from her to sit up. “But that’s enough of the sad stuff for tonight, I came here to shower you with gifts, well- a gift. Sorry, it can’t be more than that.” 

Nini saw his cheeks flush with embarrassment. “Well, I certainly hope you only got me one thing cause that’s all I have for you,” she reassured him. “Can I give you yours first?” Nini asked. 

Ricky nodded with a grin. When he was like this, happy and light, Nini almost felt like she could still see the innocent little boy she knew in elementary school. She handed him his gift, feeling irrationally nervous. Her stomach fluttered as the wrapping paper was pulled away, and she quickly saw Ricky’s eyes light up. “The last time I gave you a gift,” Nini reconsidered her words, “the opening night thing doesn’t count, I mean a _real_ gift,” she amended. “Anyway, the last present I gave you didn’t go over so well. And I get it now, telling you that I loved you on Instagram wasn’t my finest moment, so I wanted to amend that.” She pressed down the nerves that were rising up in her, “I guess back then I wanted everyone to know that I loved you and that we were happy, but now? Now, I just want you to know and have something to remind you of how much I love you.” 

Ricky’s eyes hadn’t left his present, a framed photo of them that Kourtney had taken after their last performance as Troy and Gabriella. In the picture Ricky was beaming at the camera while Nini had been caught off guard, her head turned, gazing up at him with a warm smile and tears in her eyes. She had thought about putting it into an over the top, cheesy frame - maybe one in the shape of a heart or one with the word ‘love’ etched into it, but when Kourtney had sent her the photo Nini settled on a plain, silver, frame. She knew that the picture said everything. It was impossible to see the look on her face in the photo and not know that she was hopelessly in love with the boy next to her. 

When he finally glanced up, Ricky’s eyes shone with unshed tears, “This is perfect.” He said, “I love it, and I love you so much.” After a moment he cleared his throat, “Okay, time for me to embarrass myself,” he said, gently placing the frame beside him and reaching for his guitar. “I told you I owed you a song, but I didn’t really feel like the last one cut it, so maybe this one will be better.” 

Ricky began playing and singing for her, and Nini felt her heart swell with adoration, she leaned back on her hands to look at him. _The perfect gift_ , that’s what he called her. He said that she held his hand through every tear, but Nini knew that wasn’t true. Her eyes swam with tears, not tears of joy and love, tears of sadness, and longing for a time when things were simpler. She wished that she hadn’t kept this from him, but as his song ended she knew she had to tell him about the YAC. 

“Ricky, I-” she started to speak but cut herself off, not sure what to say next. He looked at her expectantly, “Do you remember that school I talked to you about? The one for actors, in Denver?” 

Nini watched the color drain from Ricky’s face as he set his guitar down beside him. “Yeah,” he said softly. She inched a bit closer to him and took his hands. 

“So, after the show, and after we talked that night, the scout found me and told me that they wanted to offer me a place in their program in the next semester.” 

“Oh,” he replied, and suddenly Nini felt like she was back in time, telling him that she loved him last summer. Her heart constricted. “So, you’re leaving?” 

“I don’t know, Ricky-” she froze when her eyes met his. He looked like there was a trainwreck inside of him. “I know I should be jumping at this opportunity, but something about it just doesn’t feel right.” 

“It’s us, isn’t it?” His eyes clouded, “You’d sacrifice your dreams for our relationship? Nini, that’s not right.” 

She shook her head, trying not to cry. “It’s not that simple. Part of it’s my moms. I don’t know if they can afford the tuition or if they’d ever let me go. I hadn’t even told them about the school when Kourt invited the scout.” Nini paused, considering her words, “But if it were just about us, would it be such a bad thing? I love you. I’m _really_ happy. Shouldn’t that count for something?” 

Ricky gave her a melancholy smile, “Neens, chasing your dreams will make you happy too, and I wouldn’t want you to miss out on any opportunities in your career because of me.”

“But what about you? If I did go, would you be okay? Would we?” Somehow she felt more vulnerable now than she ever had before. Maybe it was because she knew now just how much it hurt to lose him. 

His eyes searched hers, “It would suck, but we would be okay. I’d rather be your boyfriend from a distance than not get to be yours at all.”

The knot of anxiety that had been coiled in her stomach for a week finally began to untangle itself. “You promise?” She took her hands away from his and offered up just her pinky. 

Ricky smiled fondly at the gesture, they’d been making pinky promises to each other for as long as she could remember, but they both knew this one meant more. “No matter what you decide, it’s you and me, Nini.” He looped his pinky through hers, “Promise.” 

“Okay,” she said, relieved to finally feel a sense of peace within herself. She was glad that Ricky wanted her to be the one to make this decision. She knew it was hers to make, and knowing that he would support her made it easier to think straight about it. “I’ll talk to my moms about it tonight.” 

Ricky grinned at her then, tugging her into a tight hug, and she relaxed against him. “I think it’s time to watch a Christmas movie,” Nini could hear the smile in his voice. 

“Almost,” she told him. “But first, Mama C made chocolate chip cookies for us, so we need to go get them to snack on during the movie.” Ricky jumped up so fast she was nearly knocked over.

“I thought I smelled cookies!” He shouted back, as he ran to the kitchen. Nini laughed, standing up to chase after him. 

~~~

After crying their eyes out while watching 'It’s a Wonderful Life' and losing track of how many cookies they had eaten, Nini walked Ricky out on the front porch to see him off for the night. 

It was getting late, and he needed to get home before it started snowing, but they both were stalling anyway. Lingering in the doorway. “Why do we watch that every year?” Ricky asked, still sniffling a bit. 

“I don’t know,” she said, laughing at what a pathetic pair they made. “It always hurts so much to watch, but for some reason, I still look forward to watching it with you.” 

Ricky took both of her hands in his, “It’s cause you like to see me cry over a love story, isn’t it?” 

“No,” she scoffed. “Well, maybe a little.” She teased him. Behind Ricky, Nini noticed that the snow had begun to flutter around them. “You better get going before it gets too bad.” 

Ricky turned to see the snow and nodded in understanding. “Yeah. Okay, but before I go…” He trailed off and glanced up, after a moment Nini followed his gaze. A smile lit up her face at the realization that they were standing beneath a sprig of mistletoe. “I know you’ve always wanted to be in those hopelessly romantic Christmas movies, I figured mistletoe was about as cheesy as it gets.” 

“Ricky-” she laughed, lowering her head, Nini found that he was already looking at her. He cut her off with a kiss. Her arms stretched up to loop around his neck, and just like always, kissing Ricky made her heart feel like it was glowing. Being with Ricky was like being a puzzle, they were made to fit perfectly together. 

When she finally pulled back, she felt breathless. Ricky continued to hold her close, he spoke softly. “Neens, about the YAC, I’m so proud of you. And what did I tell you? You’re one in a million talented.”

She smiled up at him, “I think I’m starting to believe that too.”

The look on his face told her how happy he was to hear that, “Good,” he said, finally letting her go. “Merry Christmas, Nini.”

She squeezed his hands one more time before letting him go. He looked so handsome, stepping out into the dark night, surrounded by the soft snow, and illuminated in her front porch light. “Merry Christmas, Ricky.”

**Author's Note:**

> I've missed writing these two so much, but I know I'm a little out of my usual writing flow, so I hope you liked it! If anyone has ideas for Rini scenes or fics I'd love some suggestions!


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